TODAY IN CHURCH HISTORY: 22 May

[Hemidakota]

1834 - Zion's Camp continued on their journey west and "encamped on a small stream of water in a grove near Belleville" (History of the Church, 2:70).

1842 - After reading in a Quincy, Illinois, paper that the "Mormons" and their leader, Joseph Smith, were rumored to have been the force behind the attempted murder of ex-governor Boggs of Missouri, the Prophet Joseph immediately has published in the Nauvoo newspaper, The Wasp, a statement refuting the article and stating he had nothing to do with it. "I am tired of the misrepresentation, calumny and detraction, heaped upon me by wicked men; and desire and claim, only those principles guaranteed to all men by the Constitution and laws of the United States and of Illinois" (History of the Church, 5:15).

1844 - About 40 Indians of the Sac and Foxes tribe came to Nauvoo to visit the Prophet Joseph at his mansion home.. However, because there were officers from Carthage looking for him he was in hiding and could not meet with them at that time. They camped in Nauvoo for the night.

1874 - General Alexander W. Doniphan, a non-member friend of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Mormons during the dark days of Missouri and Illinois, visits Salt Lake City and is greeted warmly by Church leaders.

1943 - SS Joseph Smith, a U.S.. Liberty ship used during World War II as a transport, is christened by Eugene W. Hilton, representing the Oakland California Stake.

1977 - The first stake in Norway is organized in Oslo. Also, the Church announces the creation of the Church Activities Committee, which is given responsibility for coordinating cultural arts and physical activities. Similar groups are organized at stake and ward levels.

1999 - Before being disbanded, the Mormon Youth Chorus and Symphony performs its last concert in its 30-year history in the Tabernacle on Temple Square.

2002 - The first missionary training center in Africa opened in Tema, Ghana.

2005 - The San Antonio Texas Temple was dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley. Also, President James E. Faust of the First Presidency presided over a Satellite broadcast from Salt Lake City to the Saints in the New England area of the United States.